1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semi-automatic firearms. Particularly it concerns hand-held pistols or repeating handguns having a slide action mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to facilitating the pulling or “racking” of a pistol slide using an extendable slide member on the slide action.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally designed pistols generally have a breech in the form of an exposed slide, which is movably arranged on a frame in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the direction along the length of the barrel. The frame, consisting of metal or plastic, serves to hold the mechanical parts of the firearm, such as the trigger housing and bolt carrier group. The frame includes a grip portion that receives the magazine. The frame provides support for the control and guide elements for the slide.
The slide is the part of the weapon on a majority of semi-automatic pistols that moves during the operating cycle and generally houses the firing pin or striker and the extractor, and serves as the bolt. A bolt is a mechanical part of a firearm that blocks the rear of the chamber while the propellant burns, but moves out of the way to allow another cartridge or shell to be inserted in the chamber.
In an automatic or semi-automatic firearm, the bolt cycles back and forward between each shot, propelled by recoil or expanding gas (back) or the recoil spring (forward). When it moves back, an extractor pulls the spent casing from the chamber. When it moves forward, it strips a cartridge from the magazine and pushes it into the chamber. Once the cartridge case is clear of the chamber, the ejector kicks the case out of the weapon. The extractor and firing pin are often integral parts of the bolt. The slide of a semi-automatic pistol is a form of bolt. It is spring-loaded so that once it has moved to its rearmost position in the firing cycle, spring tension brings it back to the starting position chambering a fresh cartridge during the motion, provided that the magazine is not empty.
The majority of semi-automatic pistols in use are essentially of the single action type in which a firing pin, typically impacted by a hammer, is cocked into firing position by recoil of the slide when the weapon is discharged by the pull of the trigger. Some of these weapons may be double action on loading of the first round, but single action thereafter for all rounds in the magazine, and thus, are not double action only weapons.
Operation of a semi-automatic pistol requires one to first load bullets into a magazine. Next, a magazine is inserted into the pistol, usually within the pistol grip portion. A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm, such as a semi-automatic pistol. Magazines may be integral to the firearm (fixed) or removable (detachable). The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action of the firearm. The slide is pulled back and released, which serves to load the cartridge or round into the chamber and cocks the hammer. The function of the hammer is to strike the firing pin, which in turn detonates the impact-sensitive cartridge primer. With each trigger pull, a round is fired and a new one is automatically loaded, ready for another trigger pull.
In order to fire a double action pistol, the magazine is first loaded, the slide is then pulled back or “racked”, and a cartridge or round is placed in the chamber. Firing is then initiated by pulling the trigger. The trigger pull is cocking the hammer first. Then after it fires, the pistol will load a fresh round in and cock the hammer, so the second trigger pull is much shorter and lighter.
In a striker fire pistol, a striker is similar to a firing-pin with the exception of a spring being located in back of the striker and forcing it to the front. When the pistol is cocked a sear holds the striker in a rearward position. When the pistol is fired the sear releases the striker, which flies forward under the impetus of its spring and strikes the primer.
In a double-action striker-fired pistol, when the slide is racked, the striker is latched back far enough to be clear of the breech face when feeding a round into the chamber, but not far enough to fire the pistol if released. When the trigger is pulled, the striker is pulled back farther, and then released.
It is sometimes difficult for some people to pull or “rack” the slide on pistols, due to weak hand strength, grip, age, and/or related medical conditions, like arthritis or joint tenderness. New shooters are sometimes too gentle with a pistol and are afraid of slide “bite” to definitively and aggressively rack the slide as they should. It is understood, however, that shooters cannot operate a semi-automatic pistol efficiently for loading, unloading, and clearing malfunctions without racking the slide properly and quickly. Thus, there remains a need in the art for facilitating proper racking of the slide on a pistol.
Racking the slide simply means manipulating and moving the slide back and forth on its guide rails. There are many ways and considerations for racking the slide. Even some experienced competitors have demonstrated that they cannot optimally rack the slide to perform reloads. Others have concluded that they have no choice but to use a revolver, rather than a semi-automatic pistol, especially for concealed carry purposes, because they cannot rack the slide. Consequently, racking the slide is a prevalent issue in pistol ownership and shooting, and the user must be confident to perform this function effectively.
Two common methods for racking the slide are the “sling shot” method and the “over-the-top” method. For the sling shot method, the thumb and index finger of the support hand are in a “V” position to grasp or pinch the back of the slide on the slide grip portion, which is generally a serrated section of the breech end of the slide, and quickly pull the slide to the rear, not unlike shooting a slingshot. A length of the slide is pinched and grasped for better control. Concurrently with the grasping of the slide with the support hand, the strong hand is quickly pushed forward away from the shooter's body. Throughout this action, the grasped slide must be tightly held.
In the over-the-top method, the shooter's support hand is used to grasp the rear slide serrations over the top of the slide. For a right-handed shooter, the heel of the support hand rests on the left-side serrations, while the outside, right-side serrations, are grasped with the four fingers of the support hand. This method yields a more powerful grip on the slide because more fingers and the heel of the support hand are used for added strength. Again, throughout this action, the grasped slide must be tightly held.
Moreover, the slide must be moved back to a lock position in order to insert a new loaded magazine, for cleaning purposes, or to insert a new magazine when a magazine follower automatically locks the slide back when the spent magazine becomes empty. To lock the slide to the rear, the slide stop lever is pushed up as the slide is racked backwards by the support hand, and before it travels forward. Many shooters will shift their strong grip hand around to the left (for a right-handed shooter) so they can lift up the slide stop lever with their strong-hand thumb.
It is apparent from these methods that proper technique and a strong grip are required to rack the slide. Older shooters, shooters with certain medical conditions, weaker shooters, younger shooters, and others with difficulty racking the slide would benefit from an easier way to reduce the grasping force while securing the grip.